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Today in rock history: On this date in 1938, blues legend Etta James was born in Los Angeles, California. Born Jamesetta Hawkins, the woman with the strong, bellowing voice was able to successfully tackle a variety of genres — including jazz, gospel, R&B and rock and roll — throughout her long and successful career. Hits like “Tell Mama,” “I’d Rather Go Blind” and the beloved classic ballad, “At Last” helped land James in both the the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Blues Hall of Fame. She was also awarded six Grammy awards during a long career that stretched back to the mid-50s. She passed away at the age of 73 in 2012.
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Today in rock history: on this date in 1985, Prince released the fifth and final single from his blockbuster album, Purple Rain. “Take Me with U,” a duet with Apollonia (who starred alongside Prince in the film Purple Rain), was supposed to appear on an album by Apollonia 6, but the song was pulled at the last moment. Following in the footsteps of the album’s four previous smash hits (“When Doves Cry,” “Let’s Go Crazy,” “Purple Rain” and “I Would Die 4 U”) “Take Me with U” made a strong showing on Billboard’s pop singles chart and helped elongate the album’s incredible success and selling power.
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Today in rock history: On this date in 1975, pop brother and sister act, The Carpenters, were at the No. 1 spot on both Billboard’s pop singles and easy listening charts thanks to a rendition of “Please Mr. Postman.” The group’s 10th million selling single was its last major hit of its career.
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Today in rock history: On this date in 1958, Elvis Presley’s “Jailhouse Rock” became the very first single to ever debut at No. 1 on U.K. sales charts. Back home in the U.S., the song had already reached the top spot on Billboard’s pop, R&B and country charts; it also hit that mark in several countries around the world. Staying at the top of the British charts for three straight weeks, “Jailhouse Rock” became one of Elvis’s biggest and most successful U.K. hits.
This article appears in Jan 24-31, 2019.